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Ray Charles studio to be a museum

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Ray Charles RPM Studio in Los Angeles will become a museum honoring the late singer, Daily Variety reported Friday.

The paper said plans call for an education center for inner-city children to be built next door to Charles' studio, which was dedicated as a historic Los Angeles landmark in April 2004. The studio has been open to the public only once, when it was used to help celebrate the release of Charles' final album "Genius Loves Company" in August 2004.

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Charles opened RPM Studios in 1961. He recorded many of his best-known tracks there -- including sessions for "Genius Loves Company," which has been nominated for seven Grammy Awards.

Under the direction of Charles' manager, Joe Adams, a staff at the complex has begun to collect items for display at the planned museum. On Thursday, Charles' 12 Grammys -- which have been restored -- were unveiled ad the studio.

"Ray's kids used to play with those things like they were choo-choo trains, and they were all busted," Adams told Variety.

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